Turf is commonly used as a ground covering for a variety of recreational and non-recreational purposes. Because turf often needs more water than is naturally available, irrigation systems can be installed in or around the turf to provide additional water to the turf as needed. However, it can be difficult to determine when water is needed, how much water is needed, and how best to apply that water. Moreover, a variety of factors can influence the needs of the turf grass at any given location. For example, the turf grass may be growing over several different types of soil; some types, such as clay, tending to hold moisture, while other types, such as sand, tending to allow the moisture to quickly soak through. To account for such variances, it is often necessary to over-water some portions of the turf in order to provide adequate amounts of water to other portions of the turf. Over-watering, however, can be detrimental to the turf, resulting in poor turf conditions at those locations. The operation of an irrigation system in this way is inefficient and leads to unnecessary cost of operation.